World No. 43 Viktor Troicki won his first ATP World Tour title at the third attempt Sunday as he came from a set down to defeat Marcos Baghdatis 3-6, 6-4, 6-3 in the final of the Kremlin Cup in Moscow.

The Serbian is the fourth first-time winner on the ATP World Tour this season, joining John Isner (Auckland), Ernests Gulbis (Delray Beach) and Andrey Golubev (Hamburg).

“It feels really great to win my first (ATP World Tour) title, there are no words to describe what is going through my mind,” said Troicki. “I would say it is the biggest day of my career. I had been waiting a long time for this. It is special it happened in Moscow as my father is Russian.”

The 24-year-old Troicki was contesting his third ATP World Tour singles final after runner-up finishes in Washington in 2008 (l. to del Potro) and Bangkok in 2009 (l. to Simon). As winner of the ATP World Tour 250 indoor hard-court tennis tournament, he received 250 South African Airways 2010 ATP Ranking points and $181,750.

Fourth seed Baghdatis drew first blood in the pair’s second meeting, sealing the first set after a decisive service break in the sixth game. Troicki was stronger on serve in the second set, though, never yielding a break point, and was rewarded for aggressive play on Baghdatis’ serve in the 10th game as he broke through to level the match.

After saving a break point early in the third set, Troicki then seized the initiative, capitalising on a lack of first serves from Baghdatis in the fourth game to break and lead 3-1, before going on to close out victory in one hour and 44 minutes.

“Marcos played a great first set and a half, but then I was able to get into the match,” assessed Troicki. “I was nervous serving out for the title but I tried not to think too much about it. The mistakes I made against Rafa (Nadal in the Tokyo semi-finals), when I served for the match but lost, helped me.”

The Belgrade native capped a strong run of form, which had seen him hold two match points in a semi-final defeat to World No. 1 Nadal in Tokyo two weeks ago, before beating third seed Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the second round this week. He improved to a 34-28 match record on the season.

The No. 19-ranked Baghdatis was bidding to win his second ATP World Tour title in three finals this season. He won his fourth career trophy at the start of the year in Sydney (d. Gasquet), before finishing runner-up to David Nalbandian in Washington in August.

“I lost a lot of matches in my career, but it is frustrating to lose in a final like this,” said the Cypriot. “I thought I was in control of the first two sets. I still had a great week, played great tennis.”

German-Serbian duo Christopher Kas and Viktor Troicki won their first ATP World Tour doubles title together Sunday at the PTT Thailand Open with a 6-4, 6-4 victory over fourth seeds Jonathan Erlich and Jurgen Melzer in the final of the ATP World Tour 250 hard-court tennis tournament in Bangkok.

The unseeded players, who are both coached by Jan de Witt, raced to a 4-0 lead in their first final together and, despite surrendering one of the service breaks in the eighth game, held on to secure a one-set lead. The duo then broke Erlich’s serve in the fifth game of the second set and went on to seal victory in just over an hour.

“It was a difficult match, especially at the end, I was choking a bit and luckily my partner helped us out. This is my first doubles title and it feels great,” said Troicki, who was contesting his first ATP World Tour doubles final one year after reaching the singles final (l. to Simon) in Bangkok.

Kas, who improved to a 3-8 lifetime in ATP World Tour finals added: “It’s been a great week. For me it’s my first title outside of Germany. Viktor and I became good friends over the past few years, sharing a coach, so it’s really nice to win with him. He played unbelievably all week, never facing a break point on his serve in the whole tournament. Now we’ll try and keep the momentum for Tokyo.”

The 30-year-old Kas won his first two ATP World Tour titles in Stuttgart in 2008 and Halle in 2009, both times partnering countryman Philipp Kohlschreiber. He was playing his second ATP World Tour final of the season after finishing runner-up in Stuttgart with Philipp Petzschner.

Israeli Erlich was bidding to win the Bangkok title for the third time, having lifted the trophy in 2003 and 2006 with Andy Ram. Austrian Melzer, who will feature at the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals in November with regular partner, Petzschner, dropped to an 8-13 record in tour-level doubles finals.

World No. 29 Viktor Troicki shares his outlook on the 2010 season, his upbringing in war-torn Serbia, and his day-to-day training regime in this interview with TennisConnected.com.

Troicki, 23, currently resides in Belgrade, Serbia, and is coached by Jan de Witt.

Troicki began the year by reaching the semi-finals of the Qatar ExxonMobil Open (l. to Nadal), and has reached two ATP World Tour finals during his four-year career—the first in 2008 at the Legg Mason Tennis Classic in Washington, and the second last year at the PTT Thailand Open.

The powerful 6′4″ right-hander has made a steady climb up the South African Airways ATP Rankings, ranked as high as No. 24 in August 2008, using his work ethic and determined demeanour to defeat the world’s best.

The witty Serbian will next see action at the Australian Open in Melbourne as a seeded competitor.

Q. After reaching a career high of No. 24 in the world last year, what are your immediate and long term goals for 2010?A. The goal for 2010 is to reach the Top 20 at end of year. Anything better is great, [and I] feel I can do it. I have been beating guys Top 20 this year so I guess it is a realistic target.

Q. At what stage in your junior development did you decide that you wanted to turn professional?A. I took the decision when I was already 19. When the junior tournaments finished I didn’t know what to do. I had to choose between going to college in the U.S. or trying to be a pro. I played a few tournaments to try [my luck] and soon reached the finals of a Challenger [event] (Banja Luka). After that result I thought that maybe I could have made something in tennis.

Q. Serbia was never known as a tennis nation before Novak Djokovic and yourself burst onto the scene. What factors would you attribute to Serbia’s rise as a tennis country; are there upcoming juniors in the Serbian system?A. There is no factor in particular. We all had nothing, that’s for sure. Everybody was practising abroad, we had zero help from anyone, zero sponsors, only our parents. Thanks to them we could practise and play tournaments and finally many of us did great!

Now tennis is really big in Serbia! They follow all our matches and it is a great thing. Finding free tennis courts in Belgrade is impossible, [and] everybody wants to play.

We have really good juniors, I think Europe’s No. 1 U14 and U16 boys are Serbians; I think girl U16 as well. They can become good players.

Q. What would you describe as the greatest adversity you faced while growing up in your tennis development?A. It has always been really tough. I didn’t have much money to play a lot of tournaments, no coaches and I was doing everything on my own. I even had to buy racquets and gear, things that a normal player never faces in life.

Another huge problem was getting the visas. Often I wouldn’t get it on time and that made me skip tournaments.

Now life has become so much easier! But the difficult periods have made me stronger, I felt all these bad things and now I can really appreciate what I have.

Q. What fundamental changes, if any, are you looking to make in your game going forward?A. [There are] no fundamental changes [to make], I want to [play] aggressive tennis on consistent level, [with] no ups and downs. Two years ago I had a lot of ups and downs, last year it was already a lot better.

I need to stay healthy and for sure I will improve my game, especially if I get to play the top guys [more] often.

Q. In 2009 you defeated the likes of Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, David Nalbandian and Tomas Berdych. What would you deem as the biggest win of your career thus far?A. Probably beating [Novak] Djokovic when he was No. 3 (Umag, 2007), or [Andy] Roddick in Washington when he was No. 5 (2008 quarter-finals).

Maybe more the match against Roddick, because I beat him in the U.S., and it felt nicer.

Q. How would a normal day of training unfold for you in terms of fitness, on-court hitting, and nutrition?A. It [all] depends if [it's the] off season or tournament time: During training periods I normally play 3-4 hours [of] tennis [a day], [and] 1:30 to 2 hours [of] fitness.

During tournaments I do a lot less because I need to stay fresh. You can say I do maybe half of the normal stuff.

Eating in restaurants all year it’s difficult to talk [about] nutrition manners. I like most of the food, [I] don’t eat junk [food], but I don’t have a special diet.

Q. Who were your biggest tennis idols growing up? Do you still ask for guidance from any current or retired players?A. I don’t ask anyone; I don’t know most of them personally. My idol [growing up] was Andre Agassi. He was my true hero, [and] I loved everything [he did]. I had his racquets, his clothes, and copied him in everything.

Q. What would you like to accomplish before you end your career?A. There is a lot of stuff to accomplish! I would like to be in a Grand Slam final. Of course I would like to win it, [but] it would be already great to feel the final atmosphere and to play. It is unbelievable for sure.

Q. Finally, and this a question we ask all the Touring pros, what is the strangest locker room story you can share?A. Nothing special really that I can think of now.

Viktor Troicki’s teammates believe he has a great future ahead of him, boosted by the self-belief earned from the Davis Cup final.

By breaking into the Top 15, Viktor Troicki is proving that in the land of Novak Djokovic, Ana Ivanovic and Jelena Jankovic, Serbia has another player of star quality.

At the four-star IN Hotel, barely 800 metres from the 17,000-seater Belgrade Arena, Viktor Troicki listened to music in his deluxe suite and contemplated the biggest match of his life. He was very nervous. “Sometimes I do feel nervous, but that is during the match,” Troicki remembers. “Never beforehand. This situation was different.”

His morning practice on the high-bouncing indoor court had not gone well. Eighteen hours earlier, in tandem with Nenad Zimonjic, he had had his serve broken three times by Arnaud Clement and Michael Llodra to lose the doubles rubber. It had been a humbling experience.

Cytuj:

“I knew it was up to me to bring Serbia the Davis Cup title”

It remains uncertain whether Serbia’s captain Bogdan Obradovic knew that there had only been five nations in history that had overturned a 1-2 Davis Cup final deficit. But early on Sunday morning, Obradovic took a bold executive decision to play the 24 year old instead of Janko Tipsarevic in the fifth rubber. “The decision was taken in the morning before Novak’s match, Janko and I talked about it,” explained Troicki, in the players' lounge at the Foro Italico in Rome. “He felt that I was the better option. We had an intense chat. We both weren’t 100 per cent sure what the best decision was.”

Tipsarevic, the hero of Serbia’s semi-final defeat of the Czech Republic, felt under-cooked. He had recently returned from honeymoon and had suffered a 6-1, 7-6(4), 6-0 loss to Monfils in Friday’s opening rubber. “I knew it was the right thing to do, because Viktor was playing well at the time and had all the weapons to beat Llodra,” said Tipsarevic. “Ultimately, it was a team decision and it proved to be the right one.”

With Novak Djokovic widely expected to beat Gael Monfils in the first reverse singles rubber, all of Serbia would be cheering on Troicki to give the young nation its first Davis Cup title.

“On the morning of the last day we knew, by watching the French practice, Mika’s game style and how to play him tactically,” said Troicki’s coach, Jan de Witt, who was involved all week. “We – that includes me – had made some mistakes in the mental part, handling the pressure, on the Saturday. But we tried to learn from that and he was able to play a complete match with 100 per cent focus. To be able to do that, Janko helped him a lot before the match. Janko trusted Viktor 100 per cent to be our man!"

As Djokovic was starting to impose his game on Monfils, back at the hotel Troicki admitted, “I had returned to the hotel immediately after the decision was taken that I would play. I tried not to think about anything. I tried not to think about who was going to be on the other side of the net. I didn’t watch much of Novak’s match. That is how I prepared.”

Only 60 minutes before his date with destiny did Troicki return to Serbia’s small white-washed locker room. Kit bags littered the floor and a stringing machine lay untouched in one corner. Tipsarevic, Zimonjic and what seemed like all of Serbia were courtside. Six crates of lager lay unopened in anticipation of a celebration. De Witt recalls, “He was still nervous, but for me that’s okay. It’s part of the great champions to handle that pressure and be focused when a match starts.”

Troicki, who held a 3-23 record against Top 10 opponents, remembers, “I was the most nervous on Novak’s match point. When I saw it, I experienced the greatest amount of tension. For a few seconds, I didn’t know what to think. Then, suddenly, I knew it was up to me to bring Serbia the Davis Cup title.

Cytuj:

“Janko trusted Viktor 100 per cent to be our man”

“Playing for yourself and for your country is a totally different feeling, a totally different atmosphere. I like playing for Serbia; it always gives me a lot of motivation. Sometimes you don’t play your best as you can feel the pressure, but you always give more for your country than perhaps you do as an individual.”

With the backing of his teammates, bad memories of his four-set loss to Radek Stepanek in the semi-finals soon evaporated and Troicki rose to the challenge.

“When I started well, my nerves settled down,” he said. “That relaxed me much more. Luckily for me, it was great how I finished the match. The courts suited my game. We had had quite a discussion after beating the Czech Republic. We had wanted a surface with a higher bounce, but it didn’t work out. So after that match, we put pressure to have a court that really suited us. It really suited me. I played great on it and with the support of the home crowd it turned out perfectly.”

Troicki had been breathtaking. The vast majority of his 58 winners in the match had been a splendid barrage of passing shots, most notably off his two-handed backhand.

Two hours after Troicki struck one final, outstanding backhand crosscourt winner past a net-rushing Llodra on match point for a 6-2, 6-2, 6-3 victory, the tennis court was being dismantled in preparation for the arrival of Sergej Ćetković, a Montenegrin pop singer, who had an upcoming concert. Outside Djokovic, Troicki and Tipsarevic could be found dancing on the roof of an official courtesy car. Hats covered their hairless heads. The razors had long since done their work.

The Davis Cup title success had been a victory for a team united by friendship. “Even when there were tough times or good times, it gave us an advantage over some other teams, that we get along,” explained Zimonjic. Adds Troicki, “We are great friends. We always keep in touch, cheer for one another and try to support one another. That is a great thing, to have the support of your compatriots, your friends on tour.”

The triumph was also the validation Troicki needed for years of hard work.

Cytuj:

“The first time I saw him, he didn’t put a ball in the court”

Like so many of Serbia’s current players, Troicki had sought (and been forced to seek) safer and sunnier climates to fuel his passion for tennis as a teenager. In 1999, he left behind his father, Aleksandar, in Belgrade. NATO’s bombing of Serbia meant his family splintered. Accompanied by his mother, Mila, the 13 year old travelled to Boca Raton, Florida, where for three years he received daily education as a budding professional tennis player.

“It was tough times, very hard,” remembers Troicki. “I learned difficult types of practising and it was quite different to how it was at home. It helped me a lot in my career, while I was there. When I started playing junior tournaments that is when I started to dream of reaching a professional level. I don’t remember the exact point, but I was kind of hoping for a long time.

After juniors, I was thinking of turning professional or going to a U.S. college. I didn’t have any sponsors, but luckily I chose the right thing to turn pro. Since then, I trusted myself that one day I could be a top professional player. Jan has helped my game a lot.”

Troicki first turned up on the doorstep of de Witt in 2005 on the recommendation of his fitness coach and physio Milos Jelisavcic, who at the time worked at the BreakPoint academy in Halle. “The first time I saw him against Alexander Waske, he didn’t put a ball in the court,” said de Witt, smiling. “As a person I liked him from the start. In the beginning I couldn’t see if Viktor could make the Top 20, but his rise has been as a result of work over the years and then also growing confidence.”

Explaining why he left Serbia for Germany, Troicki said, “I needed something more professional than what I had in Serbia. It was tough to practise, to get courts. Tennis was not so popular. It was tough for everything. I got an offer from Jan to come to try out in Halle. When I arrived everything was in place. It was very organised and professional. That is what I needed.

“With the help of Jan, that is why I have made it so far. We have worked together every day. I try to give my maximum and he does as well. That is the key to my success.”

Troicki’s rise into the Top 20 of the South African Airways 2011 ATP Rankings, can be charted back to the US Open last year. He hit 23 aces past his childhood friend, Djokovic in a 6-3, 3-6, 2-6, 7-5, 6-3 first-round loss in three hours and 40 minutes. If that loss was disappointing, his 7-6(4), 4-6, 7-6(7) semi-final defeat to Rafael Nadal in October at the Rakuten Japan Open Tennis Championships in Tokyo, where he held two match points, confirmed he was ready for a breakthrough sooner rather than later.

Cytuj:

“I trusted myself that one day I could be a top professional player”

It happened two weeks later at the Kremlin Cup in Moscow. Troicki beat Dmitry Tursunov, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, Horacio Zeballos, Pablo Cuevas and Marcos Baghdatis to lift his first ATP World Tour trophy. “After losing two previous finals, I was a little more focused and had greater experience coming into the Moscow match,” remembers Troicki.

“Luckily I made it happen and won my first title. It was a big relief for me and hopefully I won’t stop there. It wasn’t easy playing against Marcos, and I knew I had to play my best. I tried to stay calm right through the match and kept focused and aggressive on the big points. Luckily it worked out.

“It definitely helped me a lot. I waited for my first title for a long time. It helped me a lot to win. My dream came true to win an ATP World Tour title and it motivated me a lot to go even further. Since then I have striven to go further.”

Years ago, Tipsarevic could not have predicted a Top 20 future for his friend. “Honestly, I did not think so,” he said. “But with hard work and dedication he made it.” Zimonjic cites “self-belief” as a factor for Troicki’s rise. “I think the Davis Cup is just part of the confidence he got. But I do believe it is all the hard work he put in over the years. I think it is also self-belief.

“After the US Open, where he had his chances against Novak, he was disappointed. He played really well the rest of the season, winning his first doubles and singles titles. Obviously his biggest achievement was winning the fifth rubber in the Davis Cup final for the title. That’s what gave him a lot of confidence and he has played high quality tennis since then.”

Having started his fourth straight year ranked in the Top 100, Troicki is ready to set his goals high. “I would like to be Top 10. Right now I am No. 16 and I have a lot of work to do to get there.”

De Witt, who also coaches Christopher Kas and Jarkko Nieminen, believes, “What he did in the Davis Cup was super. Being there, for the first time in his life, at 24, pretty young, makes me very positive for his future, concerning big matches in big tournaments.”

Zimonjic has no doubt. “I think he is a very solid player. He still has room to improve and at World No. 16 he has a great future ahead of him.”

Second seed Viktor Troicki opened his title defence at the Kremlin Cup on Wednesday in Moscow with a 6-4, 6-4 second-round win over Pere Riba. The Serbian broke serve once in each set and won 88 per cent of points behind his first serve to claim victory in 83 minutes, having received a bye through the first round.

The 25-year-old Troicki is looking for a return to form this week at the ATP World Tour 250 indoor hard-court tennis tournament where, a year ago, he won his first title with victory over Marcos Baghdatis. The Belgrade native came in this year having lost seven of his past nine matches, including a first-round defeat to Ryan Harrison at last week’s Shanghai Rolex Masters.

Tennis Inspirations: “My idol was Andre Agassi. That’s how I started playing tennis, when I watched him. He was my childhood hero. I had to have everything he had, like all the Nike stuff, Head racquet. I really loved how he played. He was my idol.”

First Tennis Memory: “When I was just hitting the ball into the wall of my house. Just holding the racquet and hitting the ball somehow.”

Hobbies/Interests: “I like to hang out with my friends when I’m at home. Watch football. That’s my second sport.”

Nickname: “Vik. Some other ones but there’s a lot of them. If I decided to count ‘wm now it would take too long [smiles].”

Favorite Movie: “Maybe Blow.”

Last Book Read: “I don’t remember. I don’t read so much, I gotta admit.”

Musical Tastes: ‘I like mostly house music.”

First Job: “My uncle employed me when I was five or six to pick up all the paper around his market store.”

Current Car: “Audi A4.”

Pre-Match Feeling: “Well, I always go into the match trying to win the match. And no matter who I play, and always give my best on the court. That’s how I do it. That’s how I prepare and that’s my strategy.”

Greatest Sports Moment: “Well, one of the greatest moments was winning my first title in Moscow. And when we won the Team Cup in Dusseldorf. Serbia. And I was the #1 player from my country. Winning in Germany against Germany. It was quite a big moment.”

Most Painful Moment: “Maybe some loss. There was a few losses that I didn’t handle so well. When I had the match points in Moscow. I had a match point – a few match points actually – and it was to go into the semifinal. I was quite disappointed when I lost (to Zverev).”

Favorite Tournament: “I like Umag in Croatia. And the tournament in Belgrade. It’s like right next to where I live, like two minutes away. This is great. This has become like my favorite tournament.”

Closest Tennis Friends: “Guys from Serbia. Novak, Janko, Zimonjic. We’re all close together. We’re all friends and hang out at the tournaments.”

Funniest Players Encountered: “Novak is always funny. All the Serbian guys, Janko, Dusan Vemic are making some jokes. They’re all pretty funny.”

Toughest Competitors: “Cannot remember now. There’s a lot of them. All the guys playing on the Tour are really good. And everyone is trying to win so I cannot pick one.”

Serbia has won the Power Horse World Team Cup in Dusseldorf for the second time.

Janko Tipsarevic and Viktor Troicki, who were part of the 2009 title-winning squad, helped Serbia to a 3-0 win over the Czech Republic with victories in the singles rubbers on Saturday.

World No. 8 Tipsarevic got Serbia off to a fine start at the Rochusclub with a 7-5, 7-6(8) win over Tomas Berdych in one hour and 57 minutes to break a three-match losing streak against the World No. 7. Tipsarevic, 27, has a 26-11 season record and is now 8-2 at the championship.

"We both played very solid. I was a bit lucky at the end of both sets," said Tipsarevic. "In the second set, his string broke on a very important point, but I felt I deserved to win. I was the better player today in the crucial moments of the match."

Berdych agreed with Tipsarevic's assessment, stating, "I think it was a pretty solid game today but unfortunately there were a couple of things that were a bit unlucky on my side. But that’s how it is in tennis."

In the second rubber, Troicki battled back from a slow start to overcome Czech Radek Stepanek 2-6, 6-4, 6-3 in two hours and eight minutes to clinch the team title for Serbia.

"I would say that it was not such a great match from both of us. It was more tactical," Troicki said. "I knew he was a bit more tired than me. I was using that and at the end I played good. I also want to thank Janko. He won all of his matches and he helped me a lot today with the pressure. I also want to thank Nenad and Miki. It was great."

"In the beginning, I was the better one," believes Stepanek. "I had more control over the game, I was active. But I think the previous days just slowly got me. I got slower on my legs and I didn’t have good positioning on the final shots."

Tipsarevic and Nenad Zimonjic then teamed up to complete a clean sweep for Serbia with a 6-3, 6-1 win over Berdych and Frantisek Cermak in the doubles rubber, which lasted 54 minutes.

Red Group champions, Czech Republic, went 3-0 in round robin play this week and were attempting to capture its third title and the first since 1987. They also won the title in 1981. Blue Group winners, Serbia, also went 3-0 in group play and earned its second trophy on the Dusseldorf clay.

Viktor Troicki has skipped training, dreamed of kissing Britney Spears and found love at the French Open. The no.28 seed, who faces Fabio Fognini in the second round, confides in rolandgarros.com.

Viktor, what was the worst excuse you ever had for missing a practice session?I’m not a big fan of morning training sessions so I’ve become a bit of an expert fibber. The worst excuse was when I said absolutely nothing! I stayed in bed without even telling my team. My coaches were on the court, they were ready to get to work and I just played dead, I stayed in bed (laughs).

What was your craziest night on the tour?After the Davis Cup final in Belgrade. We partied from Sunday night through to the following Wednesday. It was crazy! At the end, I was shattered.

Who did you dream of kissing when you were a teenager?(He thinks for a long time) There were a lot of TV and film stars… I have to give a name? Well, in that case, I’m going to have to tell you the truth: Britney Spears. I admit, I’m not proud of it, but back in the day she was pretty popular.

Are you jealous of another player and why?I’m jealous of all those who are about to overtake me in the ATP rankings. I look at them out of the corner of my eye hoping they lose their next matches (laughs).

What was the biggest lie you ever told a journalist?I try to be as honest as possible, but sometimes I hide a few things.

The craziest spending spree you went on that you later regretted?Well, going out with my mates, from bar to bar. At the end of the night, things get a little hazy. When I pay the bill, it can be astronomical. It can be a bit of a nasty surprise the next day.

What is your worst habit on court that you’d like to get rid of? Before serving, I often take six balls in my hand and rotate them to choose the right ones. It’s pretty pointless, really.

What is the most embarrassing song on your MP3 player?A traditional Serbian song. It’s a bit like country music.

What was your most stupid nickname?"Vicky"! I’ve never liked that nickname. I got called that when I was a kid. I thought it was way too girly. Now I get “Vik” or “Visha”. Much better, don’t you think?

The craziest thing you’ve done to attract a girl?Four years ago, here at the French Open, I met a Serbian girl. We talked a bit, but I didn’t get her phone number. So I had to ask some mutual friends to invite her to my next match. She came, and afterwards I asked her out to dinner! We’re still together.

Who is the person that you never had the guts to talk to, either on the circuit or elsewhere?Andre Agassi. He was my idol when I was a kid. When I started on the circuit, he was still there. Once, I was getting my ankle looked at and Andre came in. He started talking to me – he asked me how things were going and gave me some advice. I was starstruck. I didn’t know how to react. It was a bit embarrassing because I didn’t know what to say.

When have you used your star status to get special treatment?I sometimes use it to skip the queue, especially in Serbia. I try not to do it too much, but sometimes it’s pretty useful.

World No. 32 Viktor Troicki advanced to the third round of the Western & Southern Open for the first time in his career on Wednesday, cruising past wild card Lleyton Hewitt 6-2, 6-0.

Following his win over the Australian, ATPWorldTour.com sat down with Troicki to discuss his favourable matchup with Hewitt, his love for roller coasters and who he would like to trade places with for a day in this feature Q&A.

Today you defeated Lleyton Hewitt for the second time this season. Why do you think you match up so well against him?Today I played great. I’m happy that I won against him. I like his game. He plays pretty flat and clean, which is where I like the ball to be. He’s not such a big server, so I take advantage of that, so that’s one of the keys.

This is your fourth visit to Cincinnati. What separates this event from other ATP World Tour Masters 1000 tournaments?It has the Kings Island theme park next to it. So if you lose, that’s good. You can go on the roller coasters, which I like. That’s what makes it special here.

So I take it you’re a bit of a thrill seeker?Yes, I am. The more dangerous it is, the more I like it!

You seem to thrive in team environments, having clinched the Davis Cup title two years ago and winning all five of your singles matches en route to leading Serbia to the Power Horse World Team Cup title in Dusseldorf this year. Do you like being able to mix it up every now and then by competing as part of a team?I love when we are playing as a team. I love these competitions. We normally play well in the Davis Cup and the World Team Cup. It’s a special time for all of us. We really enjoy being together and we have a lot of fun. I guess that’s why we play so good.

If you could trade places with one person for a day, who would it be and why?Right now, it would be LeBron James. He’s the best athlete for sure in the world. He won everything this year. He would make for an interesting day.

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